The Sun. — London, England, 1864-05-27 00:00:00

THE A TION AL BANK. Bead Office, 13, Old Broad-street, London, E.C. Established 163.5. Capital su'scribe ,000,ouo ; paid up, £700,000. Reserved Fund. ,E6!9,174, DIRECTORS James Allan, Esq. George Ashtin, Esq. Jeremiah Dunn. Eeq. B. H. Hartley, Esq. F. B. Renshaw, Esq. Sir Ralph Howard, Bart. Thomas W. Kough, Esq, Harvey Lewis, Esq., ALP. Joseph N, ,'Kenna, Esq. John 0' Nleard, Esq. Albert Ricardo. Esq. Rowland Roland, Esq. J. Boglo Smith, Esq. Edmund Smi'lawick, Esq. M. Usborne, Esq. Philip Vanderbyl, Esq. ABRIDGED REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1863 The Directors of the National Bank have much pleasure in presenting to the Proprietors the Twenty-ninth Anneal }Lenart of the state of the Society, made up t) the close of 1863. u se follc , wing accounts in the usual form exhibit the state of the Company's affairs at that date. ASSETS AND LIABILITIES. ASSETS. Gold and silver coin in Ireland Cash on hand at the Bank of England, advances on bullion, and at call Government Funds, Exchequer Bills, Exchequer Bonds, and Debentures 389,589 3 5 Advances on government stock and sundry secured loans at short dates and current accounts 1,026,932 0 1 Bills discounted Bank premises, London, Dublin, and 55,150 0 0 branches raid up capital .................... . • £ 600,000 0 0 .... 1 , 115 , 457 10 0 Notes in circulation .............. Due by the bang ou deposit receipts, cur rent accounts, &c ........... 4,2C8.155 12 2 Rest or undivided profits .............. 169,174 16 10 £6,092,787 19 0 LIABILITIES. £6,092,787 19 0 PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT, Rest or undivided profits at December, 1862, .............................. £143,729 3 10 Net profit for the year, 1863, after writing off a ll bad and p rovidin g for doubtfu l debts ....£125,145 13 0 Less rebate of interest on bills not due .. 19,700 0 0 From which have been paid : Feb., 1863. Half a year's nividend, at 8 per cent, per annum £24,000 With extra dividend of 16s. per share 16,000 --£lO,OOO Aug., 1363. Half a year's dividend, at 8 per cent, per annum.. With extra dividend of 16s. per share • • 105,445 13 0 £249,171 16 1& 40,000 --- 80,000 0 0 Leaving at December, 1863, a rest, or ------- amount of undivided profits of Examined and found correct, J. N. McKENNA. WAN D RONALD. J. B. SMITH. JOHN 0' NIE ARA. T. W. BOUGH. Since these accounts were made up a dividend at the rate ot 8 per cent. per annum on the capital ot the Bank, and an extra dividend of 16s, per share were paid in February last; the amount of undivided profits after these payments, therefore, stood at £129,174 16s. 10d., as compared with £103,729 3s. 104., the figures at which they stood last year, after payment of the February dividend. Shorily after the opening of the present year the directors determined to increase the capital of the Bank from 11,000,000 to £2,000,000 by the issue of 20,009 new shares at a premium of £25 per share, when taken up by the old shareholders in the proportion of one new for every one old share, and a premium of £3O per share when taken up by other parties ; the difference of £5 per share being relin quished by the Bank in favour of the holders of old shares who declined to take up the new. The entire of the new shares have been allotted among the proprietors, customers, and connexions of the Bank. This operation adds £500,000 to the Reserve Fund of the Bank, which previously stood at £i29,171 16s. 10d., after payment of the last February dividend. A. first instalment of £5 per share capital has been paid on the 20,000 new shares, and when the new snares snail ba paid up to the same amount as the old, via., £3O per share, the paid-up capital will stand at £1,200,000, in audi tion to which the Reserve Fund will stand at upwards of £600,000. It is not a portion of the formal business of the Annual Meeting to discuss the transactions of the current y ear, but the Directors feel justified, from the precedent of their last report, in stating that the prospects so far of the Bank's profits for 1564 are still more in advance of the profits ot 1833 than those of 1563 exceeded the realisation ot 1562. The Directors, encouraged by the success which has at tended the opening of their Bayswater Branch, have opened two new metropolitan branches—one at Charin 3 cross, and another at Camden-town, which even at this early stage gives satisfactory evidence of progress. The Directors have had under their consideration a pro position for altering the day of the annual general meeting to the first weekday in February, from the fourth Tuesday in May, as it stands at present. They have also considered the subject of furnishing half-yearly reports, as the other London banks do, and both of these suggestions the Direc tcre will recommend for the sanction the Proprietors at two spacial general meetings, which wilt have tu ors t for that purpose at convenieut dates. Approved by the Court, JEREMIAH I)UNNE, Chairman. M. J. POWER., Secretary. May, 3864. ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA, Covent-garden. From this time until the end of the season thcre will be four opera nights in each week, viz. every Monday. Thursday, and satsrday. Next week there will be five nights. 31d.1e. Adelina Patti ; Signor Ti nconi ; Si g nor Scalese, and Signor Mario. TO-MORROW EVENING (Saturday), May 2i , , will be per former. Rossini's Opera, IL BAKBIERE Dl S.\ Rosins, Mdile. Adelina Patti; Bertha, Madame Tagliafico ; Figaro, .1-ignor Itonconi ; Bartolo, Signor :•calese, his fist appearance in England ; Basilio, Z.AgliOr Tagliand afico ; }',or ALuaaviva, elio, Signor Polonini ; argcnte,s Signor Rossi ; Signor Mario, Conductor, Mr. Costa. Commence at half past Eight. Pit tickets, 7s. ; amphitheatre hta Is, 10s. 6d., 75., and 55.; m phitheatre. 2s. 6d. Boxes, stalls, and t ickets may be had th , box-otfic under the portico of the Meal re, which is open from ten to five, and at the principal muslcsellers' and Librarians'. THEATRE ROYAL HAY M ARKET.— sole Lessee and Manager, Mr, Buckstone. THIS EVENING. THE BALANCE OF COMFORT. Mr. Howe and Miss L. Angel. After which, DAVID GA.RRICK. Messrs Sothern, Chippendale, Buckstone, Rogers, Clark, ‘Veathersby, dtc. ; Mesdames Snowden, Welly Moore, Fitzwilliam. Atter which, the new Easter piece, entitled VENUS AND ADONIS. Messrs. Compton, Wm. Farren, Coe, &c. ; Mes dames Louise Keeley, Sni,wden, N elly Power, Rill, Wright, Bolters, &c. To con6.ude with MRS. WHITE. Mr. Compton. Commence at 7. itOYA.I4 LYCEUM THEATRE. Under the Sole 31anagement of Mr. Fechter. Mr. DECEIT ER will Claudius, M form HA3ILE THIS EVENING (FRIDAY). r. Emery; Po loni ue, Mr. John Brougham ; Ghost, Mr. G. J or d an ; Laertes, Mr. C. Vanden hfr Horatio, Mr.j. G. Shore ; Fi rs t Gravedigger, Mr. H. , ; Widdicemb ; Osric, Mr. F. Charles; Messrs. W 31`Intyre, F. Morton , Raymond, Moreland, Clifford, Edmonds, Wa 11- bank, Collett ; Ophelia, Miss Kate Terry ; Actress, kiss M. Beni ade ; and Gertruld, Miss Elsworthy. The Scenery painted by Mr. W. Telbin. N o ti c e.—The door s o p en at half past 7, and Hamlet corn mences at 5. Box Office open daily from Eleven o'clock till Five. ROYAL p.aINCESS'S THEATRE._ Sole Lesee and Manager, Mr. Geo. Vininz. ► THIi EVENING, •TLIE OLD STORY. Mr. Dominick Murray. Alter which, THE CORSICAN ROTFIERS. Louts B an d Fabien del Franchi, Mr. Vining ; Cha t e au Renaud, Mr. IVal;er Lacy. T o conclude with BORN TO GOOD LUCK. Paddy O'RafferlY, Mr. Dominick Murray. NEw THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPIII.- Sole Proprietor and Manager, M. B. Webster. Last Week but two th ofe character Ihe Gr.at Traediene ' Miss Bateman'in of LEA.tt. THIS EV ENING,an apropos Sketch, SHAKESPEARE'S BOLSE : Messrs. J. L. Toole, IL Phillips, Stephenson. Af er which, at 8, LEAH : Miss Bateman, supported by Messrs. A. Stirling, R . Phillips, Biliington, St uart, Eb ur ne, Stephenson ; Jars. b'illington. To (3,,aclude with T lIE AREA BELLE Messrs. J. L. Too'e P. Bethord, d. Romer, alias Woolgar, and Mrs. H. Lewis. Commence At 7. COALS. —The LILLE SHAL L COMPANY'S COALS. Direct from their own Collieries. Marquis' 245. per ton. I Double. ..20s. per ton. Top 235. „ Nut5.......„....i85. „ Deep 2ls. „ Well screened and delivered within five miles of their De pots, Westbounae Park-road, W., and 17, South Wharf , Paddington, W.. and Maiden-lane, N. Best Coke Terms cash. JOHN SCOTT, Sole Agent. TIHE THIRD EDITION OF ', THE SUN,' Containing the Latest SPORTING INTELLIGENCE An be had Every Evening of G. It. GLENIE, NEWS AGE7O4T, No. 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-Park. The Weather—Sun Office, May 27, 1864. THERMOM ETER. This day at Two o'clock 6O Barometer-29.92. Wind—N.W.; moderate breeze, and fine. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. fsis DAY.—Morning, 6h. 3m.—Afternoon, 6h. 30m o.)loaßow.-Morning, 6a. 58m.—Afternoon, 7h. EOrn ~ ai aa The most significant item of intelligence brow ht to Us by the Scotia is the fact that gold was at 183 when the mail left for Europe, The protracted litigation in the case of CoE v. WISE, clerk to the Middle Level Drainage Com missioners, is destined to follow the course of other causes celebres, and after passing through the inter mediate stages wilt eventually be settled i❑ the House of Lords. It must be remembered by our readers that in May, 1862, the sluice of a recently made water course or cut employed to carry off the water from certain low lands near the mouth of the Ouse gave way—the tidal waters rushed up the cut, the embankment gave way, and some five thousand acres of land were submerged. A considerable time elapsed before the ingress of the water could he checked and the land agai❑ reclaimed ; this, how ever, was at length effected. The small proprietors, whore all had,in many cases, been destroyed, turned for redress and compensation to the commissioners, whose duty it was to see that the embankments and sluices of the dykes were kept in proper repair, and who were empowered by act of Parliament to levy rates for that purpose. The commissioners, how ever, denied their liability, and the present action is only one of many, but upon the ultimate decision in this one case all others of a similar nature depend ; and altogether the amount of compensation claimed in this individual instance is but small—the sum in reality at stake is, we believe, upwards of £60,000. The case for the plaintiff was rested on the alleged negligence of the commissioners, servants, engineers, and contractors, both in the original construction of the works and in their subsequent maintenance, and especially the case rested on the alleged neglect of the contractors to puddle the bank, and the neglect of the resident engineer to observe and attend to the first symptoms of danger. It was tried last year at the Spring Assizes before Lord Chief Justice ERLE, when a verdict for the plaintiff was obtained, and the present appeal was made against that verdict by the defendants, on the ground that being pubic functionaries, acting gratuitously for the public, they could not be held liable for aay loss sustained by the plaintiff. Last Tuesday, in the Court of Queen's Bench, the Court decided the matter in favour of the com missioners, and the plaintiff will therefore carry it to the House of Lords. The decision was, however, not unanimous, the Lord. Chief Justice and Mr. Justice MELLOR being in favour of the commissioners, while Mr. Justice BLACKBURN considered that the rule obtained to set aside the verdict for the plaintiff should be dis charged. It is a case of considerable importance, and the result, whatever it may be, will affect a large portion of the community. Fur our part, we cannot see on what grounds the commissioners can reasonably claim immunity from the responsibilities of an office, the holding of which is not compulsory, but which is undertaken for their own advantage. The commissioners are all landed proprietors in the district benefited by the Middle Level Drainage they had undertaken to carry out, or cause to be carried out. It was provided by the Act that owners of 200 acres of land liable to be taxed under it might appoint a commissioner, and that the oommissioners appointed under that and the pre vious Acts, which were not repealed, should form the Middle Level Drainage Commissioners. It was provided that the banks, sluices, and other works should be vested ia the commissioners, and it was expressly enacted that they should make and maintain the new cut and sluice. They ful filled this undertaking in the usual way, by em ploying engineers to prepare plans, and contractors to construct the works; and it is not denied that the plans and specifievatons comprised puddle, and all that was requisite for the construction of works required by the Act. The new cut was made, with the banks and sluice, and had been in existence about twelve years at the time of the inundation, having been completed in 1848. Now the question may very naturally be asked,—What is the use of appointing commissioners to take charge of work- of great importance, upon whose good construction and efficiency the safety of a vast amount of pro party and even of human life depends, if they may neglect the duties which they have undertaken with impunity ? We do not for a moment attri bute wilful neglect to the commissioners; but, from the evidence adduced at the time of the catastrophe, it is perfectly certain that there was negligence, and that proper means were not taken to prevent accidents when the sluice and the adjacent banks were found to be in an unsafe state. In the trial before Lord Chief Justice EItLE, the jury did not find that the banks and sluice had been badly constructed, as stated by the plain tiff, but they did find that after their construction they had not been kept in a proper state of repair. Mr. Justice BLACKBURN, in giving his view of the case last Tuesday, very properly observed that the Drainage Commissioners, from the nature of their body, could not maintain the sluice except through the agency of others, surveyors, engineers and other agents acting fir them ; and while was argued, on behalf of the defendants, that the finding of the jury must be understood to mean that the defendants had negligently chosen in competent persons, he accepted it only as a find mg that the sluice might, with due care and skill, have been maintained, and that due care and skill were not applied to maintain it. The Drainage Commissioners, as Mr. JUStiCeBLACKBURN showed, are not held responsible for the negligence of their servants, on which ground they might claim ex emption on the plea that persons entrusted with the performance of a public duty, which they dis charge gratuitously, are exempted from liability for the negligent acts of those employed by them; but they are " not sought to be charged for the collateral negligence of their servants, but for the non-fulfilment of a duty which was, it is alleged, imposed by ;Act of Parliament on the Drainage Commissioners themselves." The fact of the mat ter is that a false economy was the root of the evil. The expense of keeping the embankment and sluice in a state of repair was defrayed by local rates; now the commissioners being, in most cases, large landed proprietors were directly or indirectly interested in keeping down the rates to a minimum, and the engineer who recommended the smallest outlay upon the works would naturally find most favour with the Commissioners. This does not apply particularly to the case of the Middle Level Commissioners, for it is the system pursued through out the entire ten districts. It may be a very naturel course to follow, but it is at the same time, a most unwise one. It is always hoped that the embaukments will not give way, and when they do so, every one exclaims, " Who would have thought it ?'' Water is an ever-acting agent and is not to be trifled with, as the sad calamity at s th lu e ic n e e a C n es d ea e r m y b p an re k c in au en ti t on g s av t e ha w t ay th , e an M d i h d u d Sheffield can t est if y ; an d i t i s so l e l y by neg l e cting e hundreds r ed Level o f industrious families were reduced to destitution. It weuld certainly be hard to compel a few indi viduals out of their private means to reimburse the numerous sufferers by this calamity ; and although we consider the Commissioners to be legally liable to the injured parties, we are nevertheless of opinion that those who appointed them ought to pay the expenses attendant on the misfortune which was occasioned by the negligence of those in their tier. vice. The owners of property in the district em braced in the confines of the Middle Level are numerous, and it would be only just to empower the Commissioners to levy a rate to liquidate their moral if not legal liabilities - 0 those who have suffered by this calamity. This would be a prac tical and reasonable way of settling the difficulty ; but if legal technicalities are to upset and pervert the objects for which the Cimmission was appointed the sooner the whole system is altered the better. If the Commissioners are not responsible for the negligence of their servants or the non-fulfilment of works which they had undertaken to execute, let the shadow of responsibility be removed from Ithem to be replaced by the substance. The correspondence on the subject of the Con federate Steam Rams it very well worthy of atten tion, and may serve to furnish topics of conversation and food for reflection, As usual, Earl RUSSELL appears to great disadvantage, and his attempts to get up a stock of virtuous indignation are signally futile. Lord LYONS was placed in an awkward position when he was directed to forward such a communication. A men of his spirit and sagacity must have felt that the message, or despatch, was quite unsuitable to the occasion, and alike unfitted to the country from whence it came and the State to which it was sent. He acquitted himself of this difficulty task in a very creditable manner. The extracts taken from the despatch of Earl RUSSELL I are most marked in their expression, and the general tone which prevails throughout his lordship's com municatioa is very adverse to those to whom it is addressed. It is quite unwarrantable for him to assume so much and to prove se. little, to impute motives to others that are not founded on fact, and which rest only on the basis of his own imaginings, or the exaggerated statements of interested parties and unscrupulous informers. In the first place, he sets out by protesting against the practice of building war vessels in this country, which he says it is the habit of the Confederates to do. Tais formal remonstrance comes ill from a Minister who has been aftaid to prove his words in a Court of law. The day after the communication is made public that was forwarded to President DAvis by our Foreign Secretary, the official decision of the Government is made known not to proceed with the case of the Steam Rams. This is an untoward incident, because it shows that we cannot make the allowance for the noble lord that he acted upon conviction. If he had been sure of his case he would never have given up at the eleventh hour, and withdrawn from the struggle before it had commenced in earnest, but when ad was ready and prepared. Such a climax is a very unpropitious one, and deep in the mind and long in the memory of the land. will live this unpropitious conjuncture. The English are not at all a sentimental people, they will not rush to war for an idea, they do not like extremes in anything, but flat contradiction in action and words is rather too much for solid sense and straightforward feelings. As if injuries were not enough, the SOLON of the Foreign-office must add insults to them. He has the cool impertinence to style his correspondents as the authorities of the "eo.called Confederate States." Such paltry subterfuge and mere spite is totally unbecoming the representative of the majesty of England in holding communication with a people whose courage and constancy have gained them the applause and admiration of all judges of spirited conduct in the Old and New World. Earl Rus- SELL had better have taken a lesson from his col league the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who long on m ago had the wit to appreciate and the ca n d our to Avow ates the He n claims so of A vND the is had Cfe d a e d e the South a nation. It is not likely that Mr. GLADSTONE would risk his reputation by ignoring the it_ fluence of such actions, or the importance of such victories as those which have taken place in the struggle for independence now for a second time waged in the fields of America. Earl RUS SELL applies himself to a very ungracious task in censuring the conduct of the Confederate States for building the rams, when all the time the case has not been proved, nor has the trial taken place. It seems as if, half ashamed of his perverse prejudice, he sought a decent eiecuse or a plausible pretext for his extreme measures and extraordinary conduct, After all, he falls back on the flimsy pretext o 1 flattery, and expresses a hope that the " frankness, courtesy, and discernment" of Mr. DAVIS will re cognise the necessity that exists for the measures he has adopted. Els' RussiLL has often shown that he has no frankness or courtesy in the affairs of this long and arduous war, now he seems re solved to show that ho is equally deficient in dis cernment. A ruler who would countenance pro ceedings such as have been attributed to the Confederates by their opponents would not possess any of the qualities so pretentiously c ited. Ac cording to this desp a tch, the conflicting statements have been tried before a court from w hich there is no appeal, and that is the opinion of Earl RUSSELL and his coadjutors. A more insolent and overbear-. ing communication has seldom been sent from a ountry like this. Well does it deserve the signal setting-down which it receives from the man to whom it is addressed, and no one who has read the one can fail to appreciate the other. President DAVIS could not have been more happy in his statement reply to this absurd and insulti n g despatch. In every line of his bold and unflinchinghe vindicates his right to his eminent position, and proves himself equal to the occasion, which is a great thing to achieve. Many who can originate and send forth a fulminating decree, and enunciate a policy for themselves cannot always be up to the mark when called upon to make a retort. President Divots ie great in reply, and he comes out of the contest with flying colours. It is derogatory to the dignity of the Foreign S e cretary to b e told the truth so plainly to his facet a nd to be assured that he is assuming a pos ition which he does not really possess, and cannot therefore claim the regard to which he considers himself entitled. Some of the retorts here met with are capital, and very fully reveal the state of the case. In the first place, we meet with a dignified repulse for.theunwarrantable i ns olence which was disp la y ed in Earl RUSSELL'S appellation of the " scrcalled Confederate States." This impertinence is truly. characterised as a " studied insult ;" and , furthermore, it is averred th a t, if repeated, such doc uments will be returned unnoticed. The chief magistrate of more than twelve millions can well * oak in this style, and it wiicti he goes on to stat e is only a proper retort tahragtetrhtehtaenrrtiltieerytronfitteid Eiingcl om. As at prz.:..ent y these m illions is man l times coustitztet, our foreign policy seems calculated to do little else besides drawing down the acorn and ridicule of other Stat es and divers nations. Can anything be so silly, a s well as so uncalled-for, as the novel mode by which Earl RUSSELL seems to have essayed to extinguish the prestige of the Confederates, and to crush out their attempts at nationality ? No one likes to be ignored, and it is enough to irritate the most placid, and t o exc it e the calmest, to witnes s such injustice as that which actuates the course pursued by our Cabinet, Pre sident DAVIS speaks the sentiments of many not only in his own dom inions, but on our shore s , and also throughout the several States, who now stud y the events and discuss the principles of the great American contest. He tells this overweening member of an exclusive and prejudicial Go vernment, that he does not fairly represent the spirit nor express the sentiments of the English nation. This is perfectly true, and it must be very annoying to be told so pub licly. However Earl RUSSELL has drawn down his condemnation on himself by his unparalleled impertinence, and the insufferable impartiality he has displayed throughout the whole period of this momentous struggle. If anything could add to these errors it would be the assurance of declaring that he is always actuated by the desire to preserve a strict neutrality. Such a state of things cannot be allowed to last for ever, and even now he is being told of his conduct in a way and after a fashion that he cannot admire. The frank and independent style of the justly indignant protestation of President DAVIS must forcibly strike all who peruse his an swer, and stand out in bold relief from the mix ture of hesitating language and impudent assump tions that so especially distinguish Earl RUSSELL'S communicat! - n. President DAVIS has studied the history and traditions of the Anglo-Saxon race to too much purpose to believe that insult and injustice form the component parts of any policy that they may uphold. Circumstances put wrong people in wrong places, to the great detriment of their own reputation, the injury of those they profess to serve, and the disadvantage of all who are in any way connected with them in periods of trial and per plexity. It will be well for all the parties concerned, in immediate or remote capacities, with its workings, when the Foreign Office has another Secretary of State. LATEST INTELLIGENCE. LREUTER'S TELEGRAMS.] AMERICA. NEW YORK, MAY 18 (Morning.) (Per the Scotia, via Crookhaven.) No general engagement has occurred in Virginia since the 12th. The reported abandonment of Spottsylvania Court-house by General Lee is untrue. Both armies confront each other at Spottsylvania, Loe holding a strong position north of the Court house. Heavy rains have prevented further mili- tery operations. An impression gains ground that General Grant's losses are larger, and the present condition of his army less favourable than was previously supposed. Reinforcements are being hurried forward to Grant. Southern papers state that all the damage done by the Federals to Lee's communications has been repaired. The Confederates have attacked General Butler before Drury's Bluff, in front and in rear, inflicting considerable loss, and compelling him to retire to his rhr Confederates have also defeated General Sigel at Newmarket, capturing five guns. He retreated across the Shenandoah in good order to Strasburg, with the loss of 650 men. Geo. Sherman has occupied Dalton and Resaca, Gen. Johnstone retreating towards Atlanta, hotly pursued by the Federals. Two days fighting occurred at Resaca. —____ A portion of Gen. Banks army has been compelled to March overland to the Mississippi River fighting its way out. A forged proclamation was issued this morning announcing a call by President Lincoln for 400,000 men, and declaring Grant's campaign closed. The publication of the document caused intense though temporary excitement. COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. Money easy. Gold 82 prem. Stocks firm and advancing. New York Central, 1368; Illinois, 1331; Erie, 115}. (FROM THE TIMES' CORRESPONDENT.) NEW YORK, MAY Up to 8 a.m. on Monday there had been no fur ther engagement or movement of importance by either Grant or Lee. Lee's reported crossing of the rivar Pa, on Thnrs day night, is contradicted—his centre and left stil maintain their positions in front of Spottsylvania Courthouse. On the 13th inst. Meade announced to the Federal troops that they had captured 18 cannon, 22 colours, and 8,000 prisoners; but that their work was not yet over, and exhorted them to renewed courage and fortitude. Heavy rains on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday have prevented Grant from advancing ; but it is believed that, in reality, be has been compelled to await the arrival of reinforcements. From 50,000 are asserted to have been sent. General Sheridan penetrated to the outer line of the Richmond defences, where he was attacked by Stuart's cavalry, and driven into Butler's lines at Turkey Island Bend, on James River, with the loss of upwards of 1,000 men killed, wounded, and missing. He reports, under date the 9tb, having destroyed portions of the Fredericksburg and the Virginia Central Railways, and a large quantity of rolling stock and stores. Confederate despatches of the 11th announce that the Virginia Central Railway had been restored to running order. General Butler reports sharp skirmishing, and the occupation of some unimportant Confederate works in rear of Fort Darling, by Baldy Smith's and Gilmore's forces on the 11th. General Beauregard, on the 11th inst., made a detour to the west of the Petersburg and Richmond Railway, marching in the direction of Richmond, and is believed to have joined Lee. Secretary Stanton published despatches from Sherman, which state that, by a flank movement ~ gainst Resaca, he compelled Johnston to evacuate Dalton on Friday night. An engagement between the armies of those Generals ensued on the follow tug day, whioh was continued on Sunday. Sher man admits a loss of 3,000 killed and wounded. At midnight Johnston's forces evacuated Resaca, retiring towards Rome, Sherman is reported to be pursuing. MAY 18, 11 A,M. Despatches from Grant's army, to noon yester day, report considerable skirmishing on Monday afternoon and night. The lines of both armies re- main unchanged. Official despatches from Butler stated that on Monday, during a thick fog, the Confederates sur• prised Baldy Smith's forces, and drove them from their position in great confusion and with heavy loss. The Federals subsequently rallied, and the Confederates returned to their defences. Butler was also attacked at the same time, and forced to retire to his entrenchments, near James River. The defeat of Sigel, reported on Saturday last, was premature. On Sunday he was attacked at Newmarket, in Shenandoah Valley, by Breckin. ridge, and driven to Strasburg, with loss of nearly 1,000 men and five cannon. The steamer Fulton, from Port Royal, reports a general engagement in progress between Admiral Dahlgren's fleet and Confederate batteries in Charleston, including Sumter, on the loth. Some of this morning's papers publish a procla mation, purporting to be issued by President Lin. cola on the 17th inst., which, after presenting the militarybituation in a most gloomy light, and api og . ISS BA I'EMA N.-L E A H.---tylf EVENING and EVERY EVENING —Miss Bateman will appear in her great impersonation of the Jewish ma .d n intfl turther notice In order o give due effect to tl.is most remarkable sucaesA of the se .son, ea,ireLy new scenery by the celebrat , a artists Messrs. n banson and , •ons, a Thonap3,n. New dr sscs and appo ntments have bet t ,,, a_e_parei tor its productioc.—N. In co nsequence of the "'Sing and numerous applications at the BoX'otn b ob ar- in;. , ,ement-, have row been made by whic h Scats y tained a Fortnight in A.uvi.ne. WYA-1 , ST. JAMES'S THEATRE. under the Management of Mr. B. WEBSTER. Crowded with rank and fashion.— The highly successful new' m dy, by Dian Boucicault .Esq., every Evening. Be- engagement of those ce ebrAcei and popular artistes, Mr. LONDON, FRIDAY, MAY 27, 1864. Every additional scrap of intelligence from that blood-stained, corpse-littered, slaughter-ground the seat-of-war in Virginia, more and more clearly realises to our apprehension the reality of the fact which from the first was sufficiently apparent, namely, that the advantages throughout have been upon the side of the Confederates. 'With all our at first extorted, but long since unstinted and earnest admiration for the heroism of the South, and for the consummate generalship of their illustrious Com mander-in-Chief General LEE—the one Great Captain born of the War—the marvel is that it should still continue to be so. The wonder is that the advantages should yet remain upon the side of the Confederates. Remember, merely, the dispropor tion there still is—as there has been from the very first—between the aggregate numerical strength of the two contending Powers! It is a struggle nut between equals, not between six and half-a-dozen. The disproportion we are referring to is not as of two to one. Whereas tae Federals are some 20,000,000, the Confederates are no more than 6,000,000 ! Yet, still, within the cno-• tral States of what was once the Union — that state of - Virginia common to the capitals alike of the North and of the South, of the Confederate Richmond and of the Federal Washington, great armies led respectively by the foremost soldier, here of President ABRAHAM LINCOLN, there, of President JEFFERSON DAVIS, are still, after four long and terrible years of civil conflict still con tending ! They are still—those main armies of the North and of the South—still, after four years, contending, and contending more fiercely and more ferociously than ever, in a portion of that blood-saturated State of Virginia, situated behind the rival capitals—the capitals of the North and of the South, Richmond and Washington. Against the largest and the most highly-disciplined ermy the North has yet been able to bring together into the field, the army of the South has, during this present month, been holding its awn manfully during the chief part of a fortnight of almost continuous fighting ! And that fighting more disastrous and destructive of its kind—considering inst of all that it has been nearly, as one may say, a hand-to-hand encounter, not with artillery and long-distance rifles, but with sword, and pistol, and bayonet, and considering, in the 8E cona place, that it has been fightirg. persisted in by the belligerents day after day almost uninterruptedly—fighting, we say, more disastrous and more destructive than we have any equivalent record of even in the bloodiest pages of our European annals. In testi mony of our accuracy in assenting to which it is only requisite, indeed, to recall to recollection the fact that after three days continuous fighting during these recent contests in Virgiaia, on one side alone, namely, on the side of the Federals (according to their own account) as many as 40,000 men were put hors de combat—the dead more over vastly outnumbering the wounded in this la'deous aggregate of slaughter ! So piteous, so merciless, eo literally to the death and to despera tion have been these hand to hand combats between North and South, during this very month of May, upon that afflicted soil of Virginia! And now, the latest additional intelligence from these sanguinary battle fields,the supplementary intelligence brought to us this very afternoon by telegram, consequent upon the arrival of the Scotia with accounts from New York down to the morning of the 18th inst. inclusively—more than simply confirms our first, our instant impression as to the successes being on the side of the Confederates. Even the rumoured retreat of General LEE from his new position, his more than ever formidable position at Spottsylvania Court House, appears never to have been thought of for a moment by the Southern Commander-in-Chief There, at Spottsylvania Court House, at these lines of the transatlantic Torres Vedras of the Confederate WELLINGTON, the Southern army maintained its ground when these last advices left. The position of LEE was not only at the Court-house, but north of it. There, at Spottsylvania, after all their ten ific fighting, the opposing armies still, when the latest news left,continued doggedly to confront each other. Further military operations, it would seem, were alone interrupted by the casualty of the heavy rainfalls. But, satisfactory for the South, though these tidings up to the 12th inst. inclusively, were, from those held-quarters of the belligerents north of the Court House of Spottsylvania—from other parts of the seateof-war the accounts now brought to us by the Scotia are wonderfully favourable for the Confederates. From Drury's Bluff, for in stance, we learn that General Butler-- the infamous General BUTLER—had been, not retire to his lines after con• ohnadl y b et e t e t n a c c le o e m d s e u n c e c d e se t f o ul r ly siderabla loss. From Newmarket, again, we hear that the Federal General SIGEL had, with a loss of five guns and of upwards of 600 men, been so un mistakably defeated, that he had been driven to the necessity of retreating upon Strasburg, by crossing the Shenandoah. As more than a counterpoise to the tidings of General JOHNSTONE'S retreat towards Atlanta, h o tly pursued, as t h e telegram intimates, by the Federals, there comes a fragment of additional information as to the des_ puted piight iu which General BANKS still finds himself add the army entrusted to his guidance. A mere portion of this army, we are here apprised, has been compelled to march overland to the Mississippi river—to what end ? 'To that end that speaks (how eloquently) of the momentous alternative of life or death—of" fighting its Way out !" Such are the very last advices brought to us by steam and electricity from the scenes of that cruelly protracted civil war in America, that civil war of which it way be said that—however much longer it may be protracted — it can never, we may rest perfectly Well satisfied, result in the subjugation of the haughty and heroic spirit of the South even by the most stupendous efforts that can be directed against the Confederates by the gigantic but hitherto impotent wealth, and numberi, and grimly deoporation of the Fed6ol6, an Mrs. Charles MathC,w.. Amon gst the artists en,,,es.ed will be bound the popular tian ar •s 01 Mr. Beujamin NV ea,tFrank Matth ews, Mr. J. L. Toole Mr. Claarle , Mathews. Mr. Il e dt'ord, Mr. F. “obinson, Mr. Aa'"t Mr. .' • Clarke , Mr. riul M i ss It.rbert, Mrs. Flank Matthews ; ~l ys. Chas. Mathews, A. C o ttrell, MISS Fa nn y Josephs, miss'lss H. •s:!lnams, Patti Josephs, Missis W entw orth, and Mrs. Stininz. EVERY EVENING, at 7, A DAY AFTER THE WE i)DING. Miss Herbert . , At a quarter before R, an entirely new and orioinal c 4 In 5 nets, by Dion Boucicault, entitled THE Fox c ome y. Characters by Mr. Charles Mathews, Mr. Frank SlatH ACE Mr. J. Clarke, Mr. F. Robinson, Mr. Ash'ey, Mr. W. catws, lame ; Mrs. Chas. Mathews, Mrs. Frank Matthews, m rel. ' , and Miss Henrietta Simms (her first appearance here). At 10, OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND. Mr. Charles Mathews and Mr. Frank Matthews. Co conclude with SHAKE HANDS : Mr. J. Clarke; Mi en Fanny Josephs. Commence at 7. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Manager, Mr. W. H. swanborough. THIS EVENING, TURN HIM OUT. F o llowed by THE MID OF HONOUR. Miss Ada S v aaborough. Alter which, MAZOLTRKA. Mesars. Honey, James, Fenton, Turner, dzc. ; Marie Wilton, nimpeon, &c. To conclude with TIMOTHY TO THE EESCITE, Mr. T. Thorne. CCD.Me3IOO at 7. TPE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVKNING , MAY 27, 1864. pointing the 26th inst. for fasting and prayer, con eludes by calling for 400,000 fresh troops, for whom a peremptory draught is to be made immediately after the 15th proximo, if not furnished by that time by volunteering. It was ascertained in the course of the morning that the document was a 'orgery. COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. Gold fluctuated yesterday between 178,', 1 and 174 and closed 1771. It opened this morning 180, and at one time, owing to a belief in the President's pro clamation, rose as high as 184; at 11 o'clock it stands 183. Government Sixes, registered, 1881, 1141 ; five twenties, Coupons, 10q- ; seven thirties, 1121. New York Central Railway, 1341 ; Eries, 151 ; Illinois Central, 133. Cotton closed yesterday, N; breadstuffs improve provisions dull ; u f s . ar s inactive; cofEe firm. PRUSSIA. BERLIN, MAY 27. The Spenersche Zcitunq of to-day says :—" We are informed that the Prussian Government will exert its utmost influence to support the candida ture of the Prince of Augustenburg to the throne of Schleswig-Holstein, and the complete separation of the Duchies from Denmark." 'TURIN, MAY 27. The National Bank has reduced its rate of die count to 8 p3r cent. SOUTHAMPTON, MAY 27. The North German Lloyd's steamer Bremen, sailing hence this afternoon for New York with the English, French, and German mails, takes out 189 saloon passengers, jewellery from Havre, value 300, and a large cargo, of which 300 tons were shipped at this port, including a large quantity of French Bilks. FRANCE. At the commencement of the proceedings in the Legislative Body yesterday, (Duke do Morny, the President, communicated to the Chamber, an Imperial decree extending the session to the 28th inclusively. The discussion on the Budget was re sumed, and Arts. 6 and 7 agreed to. On Art. 8 which declares that " a duty of one centime shall be levied on every cheque whether in the form of a receipt or an order to pay, either to the person named or any other," a discussion of some length took place between M. Darimon, M. La venal', Government Commissioner, the Duke de Morny, M. Rouher, Minister of Stage, M. Pouyer- Quet tier, M. Vuitry, Government Commissioner, M, Louvet, and M. Emile Olivier, the beliet appearing to be that the subject had not been suffi ciently investigated. On a division, the article was rejected by 137 votes to 107. In consequence, it was sent back to the committee for further consi deration. Articles 9 and 10, which depend on it, were also referred in the same way. The othe► articles to the 18th inclusively were adopted, and the discussion was again adjourned. _ . 41 per Cents. 93 50 Do. end 3 per Cents Do. end month 66 80 Credit Mobilier 1157 50 1)o. end month 115 6 25 Bank Shares 3380 Credit F Fonder 1245 Roman - RA IL Cash. Account. Orleans - B7B 75 .. 875 Northern 990 .. 990 Lyons and Mediterranean 870 .. 877 50 New ditto Southern Western Eastern .. .. Sardinian Austrian Lon , b ard North of Spain •••••••• 44 i 75 .. 451 25 Saragossa.. - .. 556 25 Ditto to Barcelona MARKETS—This Day. A Coburg letter gives some details of the mar riage which lately took place in that capital, of the Archduke Joseph with the Plincess Clotilda of Saxe Coburg, the Archbishop of Bamberg officiat ing. In addition to the reigning Duke of Saxe- Coburg, there were present at the ceremony the Archduke Stephe❑ of Austria, the Prince and Princess George of Saxony, Prince Alfred of Eng land, the Duka d'Numale, the Prince and Princess de Joinville, the Duke de Penthievre (son of the Prince de Joinville), the Princess Margaret of Nemours, the Princess Amelia, daughter of Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg and sister of the young bride, the Count d'Eu, son of the Duke de Nemours, and Prince Phillip of Wurtemburg. BOURSE, May 26.—The market has been heavy, and notwithstanding an advance in the English funds and a reduction in the rate of discount by the Bank of England, there has been no improvement in prices. Threes, for the Account, are unvaried at 66f. 80c,, and Mobilier at 1,155 f. Railway Market quiet, but firm. The market closed and left off as follows : Italian Loan 69 20 Do. end month 69 10 Ditto Threes .. New Mexican Russian Austrian Spanish Threes 51 50 Home Debt Deferred LsYB. MAIIK-LANE. The supply of English wheat on the stands, to-day was very moderate, but the greater portion was received in good condition. The trade, however, was by no means active, yet Monday's prices were well supported. The supply of foreign wheat on the stands was moderate Sales in most des^riptions progressed slowly, at previous quotations. Floating cargoes of grain were steady in price. The market was seasonably well supplied with barley, and the barley trade ruled quiet, at late rates. For malt there was a fair inquiry, at Monday's currency. The supply of oats on sale was tolerably large. Most qualities were in average request at late rates. Beans and peas moved oft steadily, at full quotations. The flour trade was steady, and prices ruled firm. ARRIVALS THIS WEEK. Wheat. Barley. Malt. Oats. Flout. English...— 580 9) 2,280 30 j 2,090 Irish.. — 3,850 Foreign 1?,140 5,589 14,180 43 110 eke sibrls. t s, )-- u HER MAJESTY. BALMORAL, May 24. This day i 3 the anniversary of the Queen's birth, when her Mjesty completes her 45th year. The Queen went out in the morning with their Royal Highnesses the Princes% Leiningen and the Princess Helena. Her Majesty, with their Royal Highnesses the Princess Ltiningen, Princess Helena, Princess Bea trice, and Prince Leopold, drove to Birkhall, and home by Baliater. Their Royal Highnesses Princess Louise and Prince Arthur accompanied the Queen en horz:es back. Lord Stanley of Alderley left the Castle this morning. The Duke of Argyll arrived on a visit to the Queen ; - The Prince and Princess of Wales. The Prince of Wales, attended by Major Tees dale, went to the railway station at Charing-cross, yesterday morning, to meet their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Printers Louis of Hesse.?, who have arrived on a visit to the Priuce and Princess of Wales. Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse are attended by Madlle. de Grancey and Captain von Westerweller. The Prince of Wales, attended by Major Tees- .e, rode out on horseback. The Prince and Princess of Wales, with Lady Morton and M jar Teesdale in Waiting, attended Divine service at Westminster Abbey in the. after noon. The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse visited the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz at St. James's-pal:ice, The Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by the Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse, and attended by Lady Morton, Madlle. de Grancey, Major Teesdale, and Captain von Wester, weller, went to the Italian Opera, Covent-garden, in tho NEIVGATE AND LEADENHALL. --- But moderate supplies of meat are on sale at these mar kets, and the trade rules firm, at very full prices. Per Sib. by the carcase. s d s d sdsd Inharior beef .. 03 4 Middlingmutton 42 4 8 Middling do. .. 3 6 3 10 Prime do 4 .. 10 6 0 P r ime large do. 4 0 4 2 Vaal. 3 4 4 6 Do. small do. .. 42 4 4 Small pork 40 4 4 Large pork .... 3 2 310 Lamb ..... 58 6 S Inferior mutton. 3 6 4 0 BOROUGH HOP. Our market is but moderately supplied with English and foreign hops. For good and fine qualities there is a steady demand, at full prices. Otherwise, the trade continues dull, at about previous rates. Mid and East Kents £5 Os to £9 10s per owt. Weald of Kents 5 Os to 7 7s ~ Sussex Yearlings .. 3 Os to 6 Os ~ Bavarian 5 5s to 8 8s ~ Belgian American COLONIAL. TEA,—The market has been very quiet. Good shipping congou is quoted 12d per lb. SUGAR—A moderate amount of business has been done in the private market, end West India descriptions have fully sustained former rates. In the refined market there is little change of importance to record . CorrEz.—The operations in colonial descriptions have been limited. Prices, however, are generally well bus- Cain . It ICE.—The market continues very dull, and the few bargains entered into have been at about previous rates. TALLOW.—Business has continued very inactive fur both present and forward delivery. P. Y.C., on the spot, is quoted 39s 9d 40s; June delivery, 40s 6d; and last three months, 43a 6d per cwt. SOCIETY FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE FINE ARTS.—Last evening, Mr Justice M'Carthy de livered a lecture "On Moll6re and French Comedy," hav ing peculiar regard to the life and character of the great French dramatist, and the manners of the time in which he lived, Commencing by imitating Plautus, Mohere after wards took for his materials the foibles of society in "Lea Precieuses Ridicules," and the more serious and crying evil of the age in " Tartuffe," passing in review "Le Misanthrope," La Malade Icas.ginaire," and other produc tions by this great dramatist. The lecturer pronounced hire to be entitled to the highest rank, and not only as a satirist and humorist, but also as a moralist, amongst all writers of his own or any other age. evenin Arrival of the Prince and Princess Louis ol Hesse, Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and PrieccEl Louis of Hesse arrived at Gravesend yesterday morning, in the royal yacht Victoria and Albert, which had conveyed them from Flushing. Theiv royal highnesses travelled by special train on tho North Kent line to London-bridge station, a ri thence to Charing-cross, where they wero received and welcomed by the Prince of - Wales (who arrived from Mariborough House to meet them), and then proceeded t 5 the town residence of hi royal highness, where they will remain till theY depart for Bilmoral on a visit to the Queen. Their royal highnesses were attended by Madli de Grancey and Ciptaia von Westerwellcr. Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess de Chartres will give a grand ball on Monday night at their residence at Ham, to celebrate the wedding of the Count de Paris, which will take place on that day. His Royal Highness the Count do Paris has taken York 11011130, adjoining the church at Twickenham (formerly rented by the late Earl of Lonsdale), for a oral of years. A large number of workmen are engaged in pre paring the house for the count's occupation. The Archbishop of Canterbury had a dinner party yesterday evening at Lambeth Palace. Viscountess Palmerston has issued cards of incl . ' tation for evening parties to-morrow, the 28th inst., and 0 2 the 11th of June. Lady Sondes had a musical party yesterdi evening at the family residence in Grosvenor-squa':e. CARDINAL WISEMAN'S extraordinary Pas,,oral to regard to Revelation and Revolution, to Bishop Colenso and General Garibaldi, to Convocation and the Lord Chancellor's Judgment about Eternal Tor' ments, to the Essayists and Reviewers, to the Gee' logista and Ethnologists--almost the whole of which remarkable doeu men t war gi yen in extenso in The SO of Monday evening—has now, we observe, been pub lished in its entirety, in the form of a pamphlet of 2 ° pages octavo, by the Messrs. Burns and Lambert, of Portman-Equare. Opening up, as it has already dope+ so wide a field of controversy, this Pastoral, in a form admitting thus of its preservation for the book . shelves, will be acceptable, we doubt not, far moral widely and generally than among the Cardingf s own religionists. To the Editor of the Sun, Sin,—The letter in your impression of Monday, COva" paring the expense of the Customs Estab lishment with tbut of the Inland Revenue, contains an error which destra s the argument. The paragraph commencing "This difference in the es' pense of the two establishments arises from the superior scale of payment awarded to the clerks in the Cu.s olll° house," &c., should read inferior scale. Lusting you will insert this in your next, I remain your ° obediently ti cRu TAT o May 26, 1864. The Volunteer Review. We are requested to state that no one will 138 allowed to enter the enclosure that will be ra iled off in Hyde.park on the occasion of the Volunte er Review, except officers in uniform and perso o provided with tickets. Officers in uniform will not have the privilege bringing with them friends who are not provide' with tickets. Tickets will be distributed b y the officers cool' manding the Volunteer corps which are to be r° . viewed, and will also be sent to members of botis Houses of Parliament, and to Public Departmeu t€4 We are also requested to state that the perimissi oll given in the General Order, dated Nay 25, to 156% Majesty's lieutenants of counties to enter the closure in Hyde-park, does not extend to deputr lieutenants. THE SCOTCH MOORS.—The keepers throe. out the whole of Selkirkshire consider the presto ; to be the most successful hatching season they have / 0 for many years, and report most tavoura bl y for the prole pacts of sportsmen. On the extensive moorlands t : Ettriok and Yarrow scarcely a shot has been fired I° , the last two seasons, and except on the very high rat , 5i the show of grouse and black game is this year expees6l to be little short of what it was previous to the gr e h % mortality among the birds in the spring of 1862. young grouse are now running in broods of from sever , ' t/ ten birds, and black game are sitting plentifully on r u containing from eight to ten eggs. On the low grow IP; pheasants have been hatched successfully; and, jude'ie/1 from the stock of old birds, partridges, wh ich are now 141; ing their eggs, are expected to be numer ous. Leve I`l,l are even now very abundtmt. An experienced Itrj intelligent keeper, however, says that he h as suffole to an unusual extent forom the robberies of the cef4 mon crows. They are found to destroy the whole eori in the nests of pheasants and black game in a I A few minutes; but, so far as his observations have exten4 the courage of the grouse often saves them from the rev og io of the intruders. He further observes that it is chieflittel clear, warm weather that the rooks are destructivelel, 1 ' o f assigns as a reason for this that when ther finding a p3.11.0f, moisture they are kept from sucking eggs by ficiency of grubs.—Seetsman. " HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE" Wili pees of Times Reviewer of the "'Diary of thL , Ludf.,.o Quality," when quoting the fo llowin g scene from iPtv, Wynn's pages :—" On Tuesday, at half- p ast 2 exit/ o f King died, and in a very short time the Archbish°Poot Canterbury and Lord Canynham, the Chatnterlain, s e , l c 1 t o announce the event to their young Sovereign. 001 s reached Kensington Palace at about 5; they knocked-, ~d rang, they thumped for a considerab le time before ;co could rouse the porter at the gates; they were agell' iow er waiting in the courtyard, they turned into one of th e T bef rooms, where they seemed forgotten by ever ybodY• itrlz es 4 rang the bell, desired that the atten dant of tile r' the Victoria might be sent to inform her R o y al 11igbhee6oteet they requested an audience of importance ; after m,tlch° delay, and another ringing to in q uire the cause, the , dant was summoned, who state d that the Piincese v b e of r. such a sweet bleep she could not venture to distus Then they said ' We are come to the Queen on buel . r .; l :;fd State, and even her sleep must give way to that.' )* f e s4 and to prove that she did not keep them wbiti n g',l t goi c° minutes she came into the room in a loose white 1 11 . = : Av g and shawl, her nightcap thrown off, and her hairelrsv"y upon her shoulders, her feet in slippers, tears in but perfectly collected and diguitleds'!